1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slide assembly, and more particularly, to one that may be incorporated with a foldable cable management arm and that contains an inner rail provided with a ball bearing carrier to support an end of the inner rail throughout the sliding motion of the inner rail in relation to an outer rail.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the design of a slide assembly, particularly for one to be incorporated with a foldable cable management arm, there is no support between an end of an inner rail and an outer rail when the inner rail operates in relation to the outer rail on ball bearings as a slide media. This is because the ball bearings on which the inner rail slides usually do not extend along the length of the outer rail. The end of the inner rail is often caught in a suspension status when the inner rail is fully retracted into the outer rail. Accordingly, the suspended terminal is vulnerable to twisting. Thus, when a front brace of a cable management arm is linked to the end of the inner rail, there is insufficient support for the inner rail where it is linked to the brace. This results in serious sloping of the cable management arm.
Referring to FIG. 10 of the accompanying drawings, when an inner rail (A) of a slide assembly is fully retracted into an outer rail (B), there is an absence of ball bearings (C) to support the area between the end of the inner rail (A) and the outer rail (B). Thus the end of the inner rail (A) without support from the ball bearings (C) becomes a suspended rail (A1). When the slide assembly is mounted on a cable management arm (D), a brace at the front of the cable management arm is connected to the suspended rail (A1) such that the retracted cable management arm (D) acts as a cantilever in relation to the inner rail (A). Therefore, the centre of gravity of the cable management arm (D) plus that of the cable (not illustrated) would cause the suspended rail (A1) of the inner rail (A) to twist. This would compromise the requirement for a firm support at the location where the cable management arm (D) is connected to the inner rail (A) and would cause the cable management arm (D) to slope. If the cable management arm (D) comprises upper and lower arms (D), this sloping of the cable management arm (D) will interfere with a drawer or similar object associated with the slide assembly or the lower cable management arm (D). This will affect the normal pull and push operation of the lower cable management arm (D) or the drawer or similar object.
In addition, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2001/0022868 A1 to Teramach et al., which discloses inner rail side ball circulation passages 16 that are directly formed on an internal part of one end side of an inner rail 8 to accommodate balls 12. It shows the inner rail 8 has a thickness which is larger than a diameter of each of the balls 12, and the inner rail 8 is a thick slide type that is not disclosed to be associated with a foldable cable management arm.